Tool for installing handhole closures in boilers



June 30,1925. 1,544,181

w. RICHARDSON ET AL TOOL FOR INS TALLING HANDHOLE CLOSURES IN BOILER-S Filed April 2, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Wm. Ffichara'son a 1 Jam 5. Poland Emma M" AT1'0RNEYS June 30, 1925.; 1 1,544,181

W. RICHARDSON ET AL TOOL FOR INSTALLING HANDHOLE CLOSURES IN BOILERS Filed April 2, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/vvmv TOR 5 Wm. Rlcharason John S. Fo/an'd A T TORNE Y5 Patented June 30, 1925. f5:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM RICHARDSON AND JOHNS. FOLANID, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CQRBORATION T0 HEINE SAFETY BOILER COMPANY, OF MISSOURI.

TOOL FOR INSTALLING HANDHOI E GLQSURES IN BOILERS.

Application filed April 2,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM RICHARD- SON and JOHN S. FOLAND, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tools for Installing Handhole Closures in Boilers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which'it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a tool for installing a hand hole closure of the kind that is adapted to be seated in a metal sheet by forcing said closure ora portion on same into a hand hole in said sheet with sufficientforce or pressure to practically lock the clo sure in the sheet and produce a tight joint between the closure and the edge of the hand hole in which it is mounted.

The main object of our invention" is to provide a tool for the. purpose described that materially reduces the time and labor of installing hand hole closures of the general type mentioned.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive tool of the character above referred to which is so constructed that it can be operated from the outside of the structure in which a hand hole closure is being installed. Other objects and desirable features of our invention will be hereinafter pointed out. We have herein illustrated our improved tool used for installing a hand hole closure in the front sheet of the water leg of a water tube boiler, but we wish it to be understood that the tool can be used for installing hand hole closures in various other kinds of struc tures.

Figure 1 of the drawings'is a side elevationa-l view of a hand hole closure installing tool constructed in accordance with our invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, takenon the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4: is a view similar to Figure 2, illustrating another form of our invention.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate two forms of our invention, A designates a hand hole closure that is adapted to be seated in a hand hole formed in the front 1921. Serial No. 457,862.

sheet 1 of the water leg of a water tube boiler, said closure consisting of a hollow cap provided with a slightly tapered portion 2 that is adapted to be-inserted in the sheet 1 from the inside of-the water leg and then forced forwardly with suflioient pressure so as to securely connect the closure to the sheet and produce a steam and water tight joint between the tapered portion 2 of the closure and the edge of the hand hole in the sheet 1 in which said tapered portion is seated. Our invention consists of a tool that can be operated from a point on the outside of the water leg for seating the hand hole closure A snugly in the hand hole in the front sheet 1 of the water leg.

Briefly stated, our improved'tool consists of a member B adapted to be arranged in engagement with the front side of the front sheet 1 of the water leg ofthe boiler in proximity to a hand hole in said sheet, a member 0 provided with means for clamping the hand hole closure A to same and means for moving the member C forwardly or to the left, looking at Figure 1, so as. to draw the tapered portion 2 of said closure A snugly into the hand hole in the front sheet 1 of the'water leg. In the'form of our invention shown in Figures 1 to 3the member B is of substantially yoke form and the member C consists of a solid block of metal of such form and size that it can be introduced into the hollow hand hole closure A, said member C being provided with a plurality of expansible jaws 3 that are adapted to be expanded or forced outwardly-into engagement with the tapered portion 2 of the hand hole closure A, so as to clamp the hand hole closure to. the member C and force the tapered portion 2 of said closure into the hand hole in the. sheet 1 when the member C is moved forwardly, or, in. other words, towards the cross piece of the yokeshapedmember B, said jaws 3 being tapered slightly so that when they areexpanded they cannot pullout of the small end of the tapered portion 2 of the closure A.

Various means can be used for clamping or connecting the member O of the tool to the hand hole closure'A with which the tool is being used and various means can be used for moving the member C forwardly dur ing the operation of seating the hand hole closure. In the form of our invention Figure 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 the means for pulling the member 0 forwardly consists f. a haft D trojeq i e o war y, rom themember through a, hole 4 in the cross piece of the yoke-shaped member B and provided with an externally screw-threaded portion 5 on which a, nut 6 is mounted at. it

point in front of the cross piece oft-he yokeshaped member B. The shaft Dv is also preferably utilized to expand the jaws 3 of the 'menber C, one convenient way of accomplishing}. this result being to provide the shaft at its: inner end with, a square portion, '1 whose corners are adapted to en-. gage inclinedsurfacesorcam faces 8 on. the inner ends of shanks 9; on the jaws 3 and force. said jaws outwardly, as; shown in. Figure 3, when the shaft D is t-urnedtin one direction, each-of. the shanks 9; being provided? with a stop" or shoulder 10 against which, the c00.per'ating corner of the, square portion 7 of: the shaft strikes after thejaw has been expanded or forced outwardly into engagement with the tapered portion 2; of the hand hole closure At the front end of the shaft D is a square portion. 11 to which a wrench can be applied so: as to turn said shaft in one direction so astoexpand the jaws 3 and in the oppositedirection so as to; permit said jaws to move inwardly out of" engagement withthe l1and h0le clo.- sure: The square portion 7 of the shaftD is ofgreater diameter than the cylindrical portion of said shaft and is arranged in. a cylindrical hole, in the member G of greater diameter thanthe; hole in the. front. endof the member '0, through which the cylindrical portion of the shaft Da'projectsn Accord-v ingly, the front end of the square portion. of the shaft D acts as a thrust-bearing which engages the member G and moves it forward ly when the shaft D is pulled: forwardly by tightening'the nut'6, as. hereinafter described. The shaft Dis. retained in operative position in the member C by means of acollar" 12-mounted on said: shaft at-the front side: of the member 0 and securely connected to said shaft by a set screw 13 or in: any othersuitable manner.

In: usingithe tool the closure A issIipped into the hand hole? in the front sheet 1 of the water legfrom the inside of said water leg The member Got the toolisthen-im serted in: the closure A, thus causing the yoke-shaped memberr-B' to be arranged in engagement with the front side of the sheet 1. At this time thejaws 3 of- .the member 6 are retracted and the collar 12 on the shaft Dis spaced away from: the cross piece of the yoke-shaped member 13, as" shown: in The shaft'D is' then turned in such direction that the corner portions ofthe square part-Youths rear end of said shaft will engage the cam faces: or inclined surfaces 8 0n the shanks of the jaws 3 and move said-jaws outwardly into, snug engagementw ith the tapered portion 2 of the hand hole closure A,veach of the jaws 3 being accurately guided a guideway in the mem- 'ber O, as shown more'clearly in Figure After the hand hole closure has been con- Iiected tohthe member Cby expanding the jaws of said member, the nut 6 on the shaft D is turned, to, the right, so as to pull the shaft D and the member C forwardly, the operation of tightening the nut 6-011 screwing saidrnutto the right being continued untih the tapered portion 2 of, the closure has been forced into the. hand hole in, the sheet tightly enough to practically lock the closure A to the. front $11et 0f thewater leg, and produce a steain-andwater tight joint betweengsaidclosure and the hand hole in which, itjis seated. After the hand, hole closure has been seated the nut 6. ist loosened and the, shaft; D, is rotated slightly in the opposite directiom so, as to disengagethe FQ QF portiens 01? he ana- P .7 o sa d from.v the shanks onrt he aws, 3, and thi p rm t sa d ja s to, move inwa dly 9. 11 of n ag men wit th taper d portion 2 of; the closure; Thereafter, themember Q of thetool can be withdrawn from. the clo;

sure

AS Previously state va ious, m ans an be s di orxp nd hs'ja 0. h tool to; on t ei w hay g mem e to the hand hole-closure with Which the tool s b n us d- Therefio e: nt Fi ur -s of the drawings we have illustrated, another form ogfi our invention, wherein theshaft D" f h to l s pre d d a i n r end w th a tapered or wedge-shaped part 7%having flati c ned a e at ear sai tin ne surfaces 8 onthe -inner-,endsi 0f the: shanks 9 of the jaws 3 in themember G, the shaft D! projec ing f rwar ly th o g he Cr s piece a yoke shaped member.'Bf. 'When the jaw carrying member 0, ofthe tool is first introduced i oh handho e os re A,-vasshow1iin ig 4, t jaws 3 a react-ed ."iFo expand said;- jaws the shaft D, is pulled forwar y or mo ed t he left looking at Figure 4:, so as to cause-the wedge-shaped 1 part .7 on said shaft; to move the j aws outwardly into; engagement with the tapered portion- 2; of the hand hole closure. Thereafter, the nut 6 is tightened so: as ta more the jaw;- carrying member G to: the left, and thus draw the, hand hole closure snugly into the front sheet 1 of the water leg- Theshaft D is;prevented from rotating relatiyelyto the jaw, carrying member- Q" by means of a pin .orscrew" 12 on said: member vwhose inner: end projects into, an;el0ngat ed:slot in the shaft Dflqand if desired, aonutr lfii canv be mounted on the screw threadedrportion 5 of said-shaft immediately-in front of the jaws carrying member C, so as to cause the shaft D to be moved in a direction to expand the jaws when the nut 13 is tightened or turned to the right. The tool is preferably provided with a spring ring let that surrounds the jaws 3*, as shown in Figure 4, so as to prevent said jaws from dropping out of the jaw carrying member C when the tool is not in use.

While we prefer to use a nut and screw for drawing the jaw carrying member of the tool forwardly, during the operation of forcing the hand hole closure into the hand hole with which it co-operates, we wish it to be understood that various other means can be used for this purpose without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A tool for the purpose described, comprising a substantially yoke-shaped member,

a jaw carrying member, radially-disposed jaws in said jaw carrying member, a shaft projecting rearwardly through the cross piece of said yoke-shaped member and provided with a tapered or inclined part that forces said jaws outwardly when said shaft is moved longitudinally, means for preventing said shaft from rotating with relation to said jaw carrying member, and means for preventing the jaws from dropping out of said jaw carrying member when the tool is not in use.

WILLIAM RICHARDSON. JOHN S. FOLAND. 

